For years we talked about going to Lembeh muck diving. The first time it became slightly more concrete, we ended up going back to Raja Ampat with Thierry. The second time we started planning, Covid came along and delayed our plans. So this time nothing was going to derail our plans.

Initially we had only wanted to go to the Lembeh Straight, stay in a cheaper resort for a week and then splurge for a few days at Lembeh Resort. But Markus found the Murex Resorts which partner with Lembeh Resort for a combined “Passport to paradise” experience and we decided to basically follow that.
So we booked three days at Murex Manadao, three days at Murex Bangka and then 5 days at Lembeh Resort.

The nice thing about this combination is that instead of just land or boat transfers between the resorts, they offer diving along the way. Since they also work so closely together, everything in between runs really smoothly and is organised for you.

Each of the three resorts has their own highlights:

• Manado is probably the least luxurious but had the most authentic Indonesian food. Diving is nearly exclusively at Bunaken National Marine Park which has deep coral walls and an abundance of marine life.
• Bangkas newly built cottages are amazing. The dive centre setup is also the newest looking of all three resorts. And the diving is the most diverse which smaller reefs interspersed with some muck diving.
• Lembeh Resort is the most expensive but also the most exclusive of the three resorts. It is all about muck diving and the service is by far the best there. It also has the nicest spa. And no matter what you try you will always eat way more than you planned.

On the way to Manado we stayed two nights in Singapore and therefore had a full day to explore. A lot has changed, since we last were there in 1999. We did a bike tour, had hawker food, went to the Gardens by the Bay and enjoyed the humidity.

Highlights can be found here.